Curiosity rover exits 'safe mode' 20 March 2013, by Guy Webster Engineers quickly diagnosed the software issue that prompted the safe mode on March 16 and know how to prevent it from happening again. Other upcoming activities include preparations for a moratorium on transmitting commands to Curiosity during most of April, when Mars will be passing nearly directly behind the sun from Earth's perspective. The moratorium is a precaution against interference by the sun corrupting a command sent to the rover. NASA's Mars Science Laboratory project is using Curiosity and the rover's 10 science instruments to investigate environmental history within Gale Crater, a location where the project has found that conditions were long ago favorable for microbial life This self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity . JPL, a division of the California Institute of combines 66 exposures taken by the rover's Mars Hand Technology in Pasadena, manages the project for Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 177th Martian day, or NASA's Science Mission Directorate in sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Feb. 3, 2013). Credit: Washington. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS More information: More information about Curiosity is online at www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , www.nasa.gov/msl and mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ . (Phys.org) —NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has returned to active status and is on track to resume science investigations, following two days in a precautionary standby status, "safe mode." Provided by NASA Next steps will include checking the rover's active computer, the B-side computer, by commanding a preliminary free-space move of the arm. The B- side computer was provided information last week about the position of the robotic arm, which was last moved by the redundant A-side computer. The rover was switched from the A-side to the B- side by engineers on Feb. 28 in response to a memory glitch on the A-side. The A-side now is available as a back-up if needed. "We expect to get back to sample-analysis science by the end of the week," said Curiosity Mission Manager Jennifer Trosper of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 1 / 2 APA citation: Curiosity rover exits 'safe mode' (2013, March 20) retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2013-03-curiosity-rover-exits-safe-mode.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 2 / 2 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).